Yan Qiu’s holographic image had his back turned toward the two Brians, so the two of them could only see a gray holographic screen and hear the other party’s voice.
Before Song Yue spoke, they had not yet reacted. But when Song Yue called out, “Marshal Yan,” both of them were startled.
Lu Qiao was flustered for a moment. He squeezed Song Yue aside and lowered his voice. “Don’t say things randomly!”
“When did I say anything randomly?” Song Yue stared at him with wide eyes.
“That’s not it!” Lu Qiao was practically on his knees. “Why did you tell him about this?!”
Just now, when Song Yue had blurted out to Little Brian, “Be careful, Marshal Yan Qiu will come after you for this,” Lu Qiao had been embarrassed for a second. And now Song Yue was actually taking this matter to Yan Qiu to complain about him??
Was Yan Qiu his parent or something?!
Was this like saying, “Your son got harassed. Dad, hurry over and stand up for him”?!
Yan Qiu in the holographic screen directly ignored Lu Qiao and asked Song Yue, “Song Yue, what exactly happened?”
Lu Qiao wanted to speak, but Song Yue pounced on him and grabbed his hand to stop him from moving. He turned the holographic screen toward the two Brians and complained with complete righteousness, “The younger one, the skinny one—he said he wanted to pick up Lu Qiao, and you still couldn’t control him!”
At this moment, seeing the man in the holographic screen, Big and Little Brian were so frightened that they stood frozen in place.
—How did the person they were bragging about actually show up in person?!
Wasn’t Song Yue a soldier from another legion? And wasn’t Lu Qiao supposedly not in the military? How did he know Marshal Yan?!
After Little Brian came to his senses, cold sweat immediately poured down his face. He hurriedly said, “Wait, I—I—I didn’t say that! I really didn’t!”
“Heh.” Song Yue had already been furious at the two men’s attitude, and after seeing Little Brian flirt with Lu Qiao like a hooligan, he was even more enraged. He sneered, “You didn’t grab Lu Qiao with that hand just now either, right?”
Yan Qiu’s gaze grew even colder.
Someone beside him spoke. It sounded like the voice of that aide who was awaiting promotion. “He is the current director of the Three-Light Star Planetary Administration Bureau’s son, Brian’s son.”
Big Brian had originally still been somewhat suspicious. The man’s appearance and voice in the holographic screen were exactly the same as those in the news, but how could such a major figure simply appear on command?
But upon hearing that the other party had already figured out their identities so quickly, and seeing how unfriendly Marshal Yan’s gaze was, he immediately couldn’t remain seated even if his brain had short-circuited. He hurriedly extinguished his cigarette, stood up, and said, “Marshal Yan, it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! My son and Lu Qiao were elementary school classmates. It’s just that they rarely get to see each other, so they were joking around!”
Lu Qiao was dying of embarrassment. He pushed Song Yue aside and once again turned the holographic screen back toward himself. Awkwardly, he said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I can handle it. At worst, I’ll just beat him up. He hasn’t been able to beat me since elementary school!”
Big Brian: “Hahahaha, exactly. My son can’t beat Lu Qiao at all!”
Little Brian: “…”
“Lu Qiao.” Yan Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly. “What are you doing at the Planetary Administration Bureau?”
As soon as this matter was brought up, the four people in the office all froze for a moment.
Song Yue had originally only wanted Yan Qiu to scare Little Brian, that hooligan. He had never intended for Yan Qiu to help with this matter, and Lu Qiao had not thought of mentioning it either.
But Big and Little Brian were different—they both knew very well that they had merely been brushing Song Yue and Lu Qiao off just now.
Six people? What did six people amount to?!
Were they really going to trouble them over one or two possible underground doctors? Neither those six people nor the two standing in front of them had enough face for that!
But who could have expected Yan Qiu to suddenly appear?!
It was such a tiny matter. If Yan Qiu really asked about it and the matter became serious, the two of them would be finished!
Big Brian’s hands began trembling slightly. He was suffering bitterly inside. If he had known that Lu Qiao knew that person who was far away on Central Star, how could he possibly have acted with such an attitude just now?!
He hurriedly said, “It’s just a small matter, a small matter. Um, the matter you two mentioned—we’ll absolutely investigate it immediately. We’ll investigate it right away!”
Just don’t bring this kind of matter to Marshal Yan!
Little Brian was also afraid that the Empire’s First Marshal would turn his attention toward them. He nervously wiped his sweat. “I’ll take people out immediately. I’ll definitely investigate the matter in District Three thoroughly!”
Lu Qiao suspiciously looked at the two of them.
Song Yue stared at them, thought for a moment, tugged on Lu Qiao’s sleeve, and shook his head at him.
Having someone of Yan Qiu’s level personally inquire about this sort of matter was really unnecessary. Now that Big and Little Brian had been sufficiently intimidated and were willing to take the matter seriously, that was enough. Song Yue did not really want to use Lu Qiao to trouble Yan Qiu.
Lu Qiao himself actually did not want to bother Yan Qiu, whose work responsibilities had nothing to do with planetary administration, with something involving planetary administration. After thinking it over, he said to Yan Qiu, “Song Yue has a bit of business here and needs them to help investigate. I just came with him. Now that they’re willing to investigate, there’s no problem.”
Big Brian’s attitude was extremely good now. He ingratiatingly said, “Exactly, there’s no problem at all. It’s our duty. Do you want to sit down and have some tea?”
Lu Qiao and Song Yue had no interest in being fake and polite with these two. After refusing, they turned around and left. When they departed, Big and Little Brian accompanied them from both sides all the way to outside the administration bureau. They watched them board the aircraft and take off, standing there smiling and waving at them.
This grand display not only stunned a group of administration bureau employees, but also made Lu Qiao and Song Yue get goosebumps several times.
After Lu Qiao and Song Yue left, Little Brian hurriedly grabbed his father and asked, “Dad, was that really Yan Qiu?!”
The matter was simply too unbelievable. Now that everyone had left, Little Brian could finally catch his breath and think. He seriously suspected that perhaps Lu Qiao and the others had used some kind of deception just now!
Big Brian shook off his hand. The tension throughout his body had not yet relaxed, and he lowered his voice. “Of course it’s real. If the person in that holographic image just now had been computer-generated, Lu Qiao and the others would have committed a crime. Do you think they’re like you?!”
“…” Little Brian sheepishly said, “Then, then the attitude we had toward Lu Qiao and the others just now, could it—”
“What use is there in talking about that now?” Big Brian also felt a headache coming on. He turned and walked back. “Hurry up and contact the administrator over in District 3. What the hell are they doing? They got me into this kind of trouble!”
On the aircraft, Lu Qiao and Song Yue discussed the matter. At present, they could only wait for the investigation results from Big and Little Brian. However, waiting for the results would not delay treatment. Song Yue planned to rest tonight and set out for Central Star with his younger brother and parents tomorrow morning.
The problem was Lu Qiao—Lu Qiao still had to stay here for two more days, so he couldn’t catch a ride back with Song Yue.
“It’s fine. I’ll take the interstellar express train back,” Lu Qiao said indifferently. Then his tone changed, and he angrily demanded an explanation. “By the way, what were you doing just now?! Why did you tell Yan Qiu that kind of thing?!”
Song Yue glanced at Lu Qiao. Actually, he had already figured it out. At this moment, Yan Qiu’s feelings were one-sided, while Lu Qiao understood nothing.
Although everyone online was saying that the people who had been locked onto were secretly in love with each other, it was ultimately only speculation. Song Yue did not know whether Lu Qiao actually liked Yan Qiu, and he did not want to stick his nose into this matter and end up affecting the relationship between Lu Qiao and Yan Qiu.
But in that situation just now, if they did not seriously intimidate Little Brian, who knew how he would harass Lu Qiao over the next few days. If Lu Qiao really beat Little Brian up, Big Brian certainly would not let him off either. Since Yan Qiu had called at that moment, naturally it was best to let him make an appearance.
Song Yue explained his reasoning. Seeing that Lu Qiao still looked awkward, he rolled his eyes, leaned over, and asked, “If Yan Qiu looked at you with the same kind of gaze Little Brian had just now, what would you do?”
Lu Qiao froze.
Little Brian’s gaze?
Greasy and lecherous.
Lu Qiao shuddered in disgust, shook himself, and frowned. “Creepy. I’d beat him up!”
Song Yue awkwardly retreated and said nothing more.
Yet Lu Qiao thought to himself, Yan Qiu would never show such a creepy, disgusting gaze. Even if that man wanted to be lustful… he would definitely manage to be lustful with elegance!
—Wait, what was he thinking about?!
Lu Qiao covered his forehead.
The two landed at the Song family’s entrance. After saying goodbye to Song Yue, Lu Qiao headed toward his grandmother’s house.
The two families lived on the same street. At the end of the street was a mountain, and Lu Qiao’s grandmother’s house was at the foot of the mountain. When he was little, Lu Qiao loved running up the mountain every day.
There was also a private clinic halfway up the mountain. Lu Qiao had been healthy since childhood, but his grandmother was frail and frequently ill, so they had also been regular visitors to that clinic.
Pulling his suitcase, Lu Qiao ran into an acquaintance just as he was nearing the house.
The man lived next door. His back was slightly hunched, and quite a few silver strands were mixed into his hair. He was clearly only in his fifties, which was still young for modern people, whose lifespan was 180 years, yet he looked like an old man.
Lu Qiao only came back once a year nowadays, and whenever he saw him, he always felt that the man’s aging was happening far too quickly.
However… thinking of the man’s experiences, Lu Qiao sighed. He composed his expression and greeted him, “Uncle Gavin!”
The man named Gavin was locking his door. Hearing the voice, he swayed around and turned. His left leg was a prosthetic. When he saw Lu Qiao, he happily said, “Lu Qiao, you’re back!”
“Yeah.” Lu Qiao exchanged pleasantries. “Uncle, you’re heading out?”
“Yes, going to work.”
“Work?” Lu Qiao asked in confusion. “Uncle, did you change jobs?”
Gavin was the friend of Lu Qiao’s father who had once undergone genetic mutagenesis and then entered the military. However, five years after entering the military, Gavin was injured and retired—he had it better than Lu Qiao’s father, because his father had died directly on the battlefield.
After retiring, Gavin returned to his hometown, Three-Light Star. Originally, it was said that he had also gotten to know a woman in the military, but the woman had also died on the battlefield. After that, Gavin seemed to have no intention of falling in love or getting married, and had lived alone until now.
Lu Qiao knew that Gavin had changed jobs quite a few times over the past decade or so. When he came back last year, he had heard that Gavin was teaching at an elementary school. How was it that he was only going to work at two or three in the afternoon this time?
Gavin laughed heartily. “Yes, I changed jobs. I’m working as a security guard now. I’m on the late shift today, so I’m only heading out now.”
He looked at Lu Qiao and asked, “What about you? How have you been lately? Has your genetic disorder gotten better?”
“There has been progress, but it hasn’t completely recovered yet.” Lu Qiao scratched his head.
“Is that so?” Gavin paused, then said with a faint smile, “There’s only one year left. If it really doesn’t work out, you can consider getting genetic treatment.”
Lu Qiao froze. “You mean genetic closure?”
Gavin smiled.
Lu Qiao shook his head. “I’ve thought about it, but I still want to overcome it.”
At his core, Lu Qiao was still someone who refused to admit defeat.
Moreover, his wings had already gotten much better, and his confidence had become extremely strong again. Genetic closure was simply no longer within his considerations.
Hearing this, Gavin did not say anything more. He only nodded and murmured, “Actually, there’s nothing wrong with not joining the military. As for war, the farther away you are from it, the better.”
Lu Qiao moved his lips but said nothing.
After muttering to himself, Gavin smiled at Lu Qiao again and waved. “Then I’m off to work!”
“Okay. Goodbye, Uncle!” Lu Qiao waved as well.
Lu Qiao opened the door and entered the house. Dust immediately floated toward his face. He coughed twice and raised a hand to block it.
Gavin had once suggested that Lu Qiao sell this house. After all, Lu Qiao had been studying in a first-class star region, and at that time it was almost certain that he would enter the military after graduation. With his abilities, it would not be difficult for him to do well in the military. Afterward, he could completely settle down in the first-class star region.
He only stayed in this house for two or three days every year. Every time he came back, he had to do a major cleaning. It really was unnecessary.
If he only wanted to visit the graves, he could simply come and go on the same day.
But Lu Qiao couldn’t bear to part with the house his grandmother had left him.
He had grown up here. The house was filled with memories of him and his deceased relatives. To Lu Qiao, this was where he belonged. If he really sold it, even if he had money to purchase another home elsewhere, he would feel that the only place he belonged had disappeared.
That feeling would be far too lonely.
Besides, after retiring in the future, he might not necessarily remain in the first-class star region. Perhaps he would return here to live, just like Uncle Gavin.
Lu Qiao put down his suitcase and immediately began cleaning the house.
He removed the dust covers, went to the backyard to soak and wash them, then mopped the floors and wiped the furniture.
After all that work, it was already three hours later when he had completely finished cleaning.
Lu Qiao rested for a while and looked at the time. It was already past six. In a little while, it would be seven, and he would be meeting Yan Qiu!
Lu Qiao immediately perked up again. He took his tools and went to the back mountain, preparing to dig bamboo shoots!
Although it was already evening, it became dark very late here, and the light on the mountain was still quite good.
Lu Qiao leisurely climbed up the mountain. After finding a suitable spot, he squatted down and began digging bamboo shoots.
He dug out two in succession. Feeling that the harvest was pretty good, Lu Qiao happily took a picture with his terminal and sent it to Yan Qiu.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from nearby. He turned around and met the gaze of a handsome, refined-looking man.
The man was also holding a bamboo shoot in his hand, tossing it up and down playfully.
The two looked at each other. Noticing the bamboo shoots in each other’s hands, they both smiled.
It was actually rare to encounter someone else digging bamboo shoots at the same time. What a coincidence.
At this moment, Lu Qiao’s terminal received a voice message. He tapped it and heard Yan Qiu’s cool yet gentle voice:
“Wait for you to come over.”
Lu Qiao pursed his lips, the corners of his eyes curving into a smile. Beside him, however, the refined-looking man narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing that voice.
Seeing Lu Qiao stand up, the refined-looking man lazily asked, “You live nearby? A local?”
“Yeah.”
The refined man’s gaze fell on Lu Qiao’s terminal. “Was that your friend’s voice just now?”
Hearing this, Lu Qiao sized the man up. He only smiled without answering and turned around, intending to leave.
The refined man took a step after him and opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say more, when a sharp whistle suddenly came from the air. Birds scattered in all directions from among the trees.
Both of them immediately became serious and looked up toward the mountain—a horrifying sensation suddenly swept over them!
—It was mental power!
This sensation was rapidly growing stronger. A mental power manipulator was quickly approaching them!
The situation came too suddenly. Lu Qiao’s expression changed. By the time he reacted, a figure had already rushed out of the woods ahead. Accompanied by a sharp whistle, a violent wind swept over.
Lu Qiao threw down his tools and bamboo shoots, pulled the refined man over, and shielded him behind himself. In the next second, a blood-red figure with bloodshot eyes had already reached him, a pair of wolf claws reaching out toward him!
Lu Qiao pulled the refined man aside and, with a spinning kick, sent the monster-like man in front of him tumbling to the ground, his expression full of shock and uncertainty.
This monster not only had wolf claws for hands, but also fangs growing from his mouth. The muscles on his body bulged and piled together like tumors! Waves of powerful mental power spilled from his body. Lu Qiao was already having great difficulty resisting it, let alone an ordinary person. Once this monster attacked them, their mental body would definitely be shattered instantly!
Just by looking with the naked eye, Lu Qiao could already identify four different species’ genetic traits in this monster’s body. This was completely abnormal. Where had this monster come from?
The mountain?
Lu Qiao raised his head and saw the faint roof of the private clinic halfway up the mountain. His pupils suddenly contracted—
There?!
Was this a patient at the clinic suffering from a genetic rampage? But this could no longer be described simply as “genetic rampage”—
After falling to the ground, the monster shook his head and quickly climbed back up.
Something suddenly moved on his head—his hair shifted, then the entire thing fell off. It was… a wig?!
Lu Qiao was dumbfounded.
The monster revealed his completely bald head beneath the wig. Then spikes grew from his head, with transparent liquid seeping from them.
Poison.
—Another species’ genetic trait!
There was absolutely no way for one person to awaken this many different species’ genetic traits!
Lu Qiao’s expression turned grim.
Without even looking back, he pushed the refined man and shouted, “Hurry, go to the District Three Administration Bureau and get people here!”
Before he could finish speaking, a powerful mental attack struck him. Lu Qiao stepped backward, lowered his body to dodge the monster’s collision, then drove his elbow hard into the monster’s abdomen.
The monster took a step back. Lu Qiao spun several times in succession and directly kicked the monster flying, sending him crashing heavily into a tree trunk!
The monster screamed, and his mental power became even more chaotic. Lu Qiao’s head began to ache. At one moment, that familiar sensation struck him again.
—Something burst out of his body and collided violently with the monster’s mental power!
Invisible mental waves began spreading outward in circles!
Song Yue was in the living room discussing tomorrow’s itinerary with his parents when, all of a sudden, a horrifying sensation swept over him.
His expression changed. He abruptly stood up and looked toward the inner room.
His parents froze, somewhat confused.
The next second, a figure walked out of the inner room.
Song’s father and mother saw him and stood up in surprise.
“He’s awake!”
Song Yue’s expression was grim.
“…No.”
The figure continued taking another step forward, becoming exposed to the light in the living room.
When they clearly saw the person’s appearance, Song’s father and mother instantly felt their hands and feet turn cold. Their faces went pale, and they were so frightened that they could not say a word.
It was the appearance of their younger son. Yet his mouth had become a long, sharp beak, more than a dozen tentacles floated in the air from his chest and back, eyeing them menacingly, and a pair of bat wings slowly spread open behind him.
—He had practically turned into a monster!
His bloodshot eyes contained not the slightest trace of expression. His entire body radiated a cold and dangerous aura.
Song Yue gritted his teeth and said quietly to his parents, “Get out of here!”
The administrator of District Three had been harshly scolded by Big Brian today.
Upon hearing that the Empire’s First Marshal, who was far away on Central Star, had even taken an interest in the matter that Song’s parents had previously reported, he was completely dumbfounded.
How had this gotten connected to that person on Central Star?
Just because six people had fallen unconscious?
But Big Brian’s urgency had not sounded fake. The administrator was sweating coldly and immediately sent people out to investigate the situation. Yet they were equally baffled—after all, six people had all fallen unconscious, and the location-tracking function on their terminals had been shut off. What could they possibly investigate?!
Even if there were surveillance cameras in public places… most of those cameras had been poorly maintained for years and had already broken down. They were completely useless!
As for other methods, they were even more troublesome and could not produce results in a short time. The administrator was frantic with worry and discussed it with his subordinates for a long time.
One subordinate cautiously said, “Marshal Yan can’t possibly come personally to deal with this kind of matter, right? He probably just mentioned it casually.”
The administrator paused and looked up at him.
Seeing this, the subordinate became a little bolder and said quietly, “Marshal Yan mentioned it, and we immediately went to investigate. But if we can’t find anything, there’s nothing we can do… It’s not as if Marshal Yan is going to send people from Central Star to investigate this matter, right?”
After all, they had no idea under what circumstances Marshal Yan had mentioned this matter to Big Brian.
The administrator thought about it and felt that it made sense. How could such a minor matter really attract the attention of an Imperial Marshal? Even their superior authority, the Star Region Administration Bureau, probably wouldn’t bother with it!
The subordinate said, “Take your time. Don’t panic. After two or three days, perhaps no one will even mention this anymore!”
Wasn’t that how things always worked around here?!
The administrator thought about it, nodded, and was just about to say something when the office door suddenly flew open with a bang. Another subordinate rushed in, panicked and flustered.
The administrator’s expression darkened, and he was just about to reprimand him when the man shouted, “Those six unconscious people woke up, but they’re all completely insane! Completely insane!”
On the mountain, Lu Qiao and the monster continued fighting.
The monster’s strength was evenly matched with Lu Qiao’s, and was even faintly superior to him.
Lu Qiao gritted his teeth as he resisted and attacked. Every movement pushed his body to its absolute limit. He could even hear the sound of his muscles tearing!
And in the air, the two invisible forces continued to intertwine and collide!
Every collision made Lu Qiao feel dizzy, as though his head were splitting apart from the pain!
—I can’t let this monster down the mountain. I have to kill this monster before seven, before he disappears!
Lu Qiao’s mind remained perfectly clear.
He gathered all his strength and suddenly struck with all his might. The monster flew backward and crashed onto the ground!
Lu Qiao immediately followed. When the monster tried to get up, he pressed down on the monster’s face and slammed him hard into the ground, burying his entire head in the earth!
At the same moment, all the power within his body erupted outward, completely enveloping the monster’s mental power, tightening around it, and violently grinding it to pieces!
Amid the turbulent mental waves, one force completely shattered, while the other surged and spiraled violently in place!
The monster fainted.
Lu Qiao panted heavily. His ears were buzzing, and he could feel something inside his body being completely released, roaring excitedly as it pulled his consciousness to its absolute limit.
The next second, he closed his eyes and collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
Nearby, the refined man had remained quietly standing there the entire time. He had not left, but had watched everything from beginning to end.
After the area on the mountain became quiet again, he walked over to Lu Qiao and stared at him.
A force quietly extended from his body and touched Lu Qiao, but was instantly rebuffed.
Having confirmed his hypothesis, the refined man withdrew his power.
Just now, while standing there, he could only sense the mental power fluctuating and vibrating in midair. He knew that the monster’s mental power had encountered resistance, but he had not sensed the existence of the other mental power at all.
It seemed that unlike the monster and almost all mental power manipulators, the mental power possessed by the person on the ground was completely silent and had no “perception” range at all.
In other words, before actually being attacked, people nearby had no way of knowing whether this person had activated his mental power. They would not have that horrifying premonition, nor would they have any way to defend or remain vigilant.
It was a power beyond everyone else.
And a power that was almost invincible.
Just like his.
The refined man smiled and studied Lu Qiao’s face with great interest, committing his appearance to memory.
Immediately afterward, Lu Qiao’s figure disappeared from the spot.
As the time approached seven, Yan Qiu walked downstairs and into the living room.
The chef was in the kitchen. When he saw him, he smiled broadly and said, “Young Master Lu is cooking today?”
A faint smile appeared in Yan Qiu’s eyes.
“Mm.”
“Then I absolutely have to see Young Master Lu’s cooking skills!” The chef rubbed his hands together and smiled.
The butler beside him said amusingly, “Perhaps today it’s the young master who’s going to Young Master Lu’s place!”
The few of them were chatting and laughing when the time officially reached exactly seven o’clock in the evening.
A figure appeared in front of Yan Qiu.
The chef clapped his hands. “Look, Young Master Lu is coming over again today!”
The next second, Yan Qiu’s expression darkened, and both the chef and butler were startled!
—Lu Qiao’s legs suddenly went weak, and he collapsed straight toward the floor!
Yan Qiu caught him and frowned.
“Lu Qiao?”
The person in his arms had his eyes tightly closed and showed no response whatsoever.
Yan Qiu lifted Lu Qiao horizontally into his arms and quickly said to the butler, “Call the doctor.”
The butler hurriedly replied, “Yes!”